PULLED PORK TACOS WITH BATCH NO.5 HABANERO HOT SAUCE
Slow-cooked pulled pork, crunchy pickled veg and a kick of heat all wrapped up in a soft taco. Finished with batch No.5 BBQ Sauce, Japanese Style Mayo and Habanero Hot Sauce, it’s smoky, spicy and guaranteed to leave sticky fingers in the best way possible.
Notes from the Kitchen
The overnight cook is where the magic happens, so don’t rush it. Keep plenty of the braising liquid in the shredded pork to lock in moisture, then balance the richness with plenty of fresh herbs and pickled vegetables. Finish with as much—or as little—Habanero Hot Sauce as you can handle.
Meet the Chef
Michael Gawlik
With over a decade of experience across foodservice, manufacturing and culinary innovation, Michael Gawlik knows what it takes to create food that delivers every single time. Passionate about bold flavours, practical techniques and products that work hard in professional kitchens, Michael combines chef-led creativity with real-world experience to develop recipes that are simple to execute but big on impact. His philosophy is straightforward: great food doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to taste incredible.
Ingredients
Chicken Stock
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1.5kg chicken carcasses/frames
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2 onions, chopped
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3 carrots, chopped
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2 bay leaves
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¼ bunch thyme
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6 sticks celery, chopped
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6-8 black peppercorns
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3 ½ litres cold water
BBQ Pulled Pork
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2.5 kg boneless pork shoulder
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3 tbs brown sugar
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2 tsp paprika
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½ tsp yellow mustard seeds
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½ tsp ground cumin
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½ tsp cayenne pepper
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2 tbs coarse salt
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1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
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Chicken stock, as needed
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batch No. 5 BBQ Sauce, to taste
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Soft taco shell
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batch No.5 habanero hot sauce
Pickled Vegetables
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1L white wine vinegar
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1kg caster sugar
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2 star anise
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3 cloves
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¼ red cabbage, shredded
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2 carrots, julienned or thinly sliced
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2 red onions, sliced
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5 long red chillis, sliced
Sriracha Mayonnaise
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1 cup batch No. 5 Japanese Style Mayonnaise
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3 tbs Sriracha
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¼ white cabbage, shredded
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2 carrots, julienned or thinly sliced
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2 capsicums, julienned or thinly sliced
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2 cucumbers, julienned or thinly sliced
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¼ bunch coriander, leaves picked
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¼ bunch mint, leaves picked
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¼ bunch spring onion, thinly sliced
Method
01
To make the chicken stock: Chop the chicken carcasses/frames into rough pieces and place into a stock pot with the chopped onions, carrots, bay leaves, thyme, celery, and black peppercorns. Add the cold water and bring everything to a boil, skimming off any impurities from the top of the stock. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low.
02
Simmer for approximately 3 hours, skimming as necessary. Pass the stock through a fine sieve and allow it to cool. This will yield approximately 3 litres of stock.
03
To make the BBQ pulled pork: Place the pork shoulder on a large tray lined with baking paper. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard seeds, cumin, and cayenne. Dry rub the pork with the spice mixture, making sure to cover all sides. Cover the tray and refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
04
Generously season the pork shoulder with salt. Sear the pork shoulder until a nice caramelization is achieved on all sides then transfer the seared pork to a deep-sided baking tray.
05
Pour enough chicken stock into the tray to fully submerge the pork and cover the tray with baking paper and aluminium foil. Cook the pork at 100°C overnight. Remove the pork from the cooking liquid and "pull" or shred the meat from the shoulder. Add approximately 2 cups of braising liquid to the shredded pork for moisture, then combine the pulled pork with the batch No.5 BBQ sauce and season to taste.
06
To make the pickled vegetables: Place white wine vinegar, caster sugar, star anise and cloves in a non-reactive saucepan and heat over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, allowing the sugar to dissolve. Remove from heat and pour the pickling liquid over the vegetables (red cabbage, carrots, red onion, and long red chili).
07
To make the Sriracha mayonnaise: Stir together the mayonnaise and Sriracha in a small bowl until well combined.
08
To assemble: Chargrill the soft taco bread. Spread the Sriracha Mayonnaise evenly on the taco. Place a generous amount of pulled pork on the taco. Layer the herbs (coriander, mint, spring onions), fresh vegetables (white cabbage, carrots, capsicum and cucumber) and the pickled vegetables, as per taste requirements. Finish off with a drizzle of batch No.5 habanero hot sauce
